Into the Ocean
by DamagedSpoon
Summary: Massively AU Lokane, set in a fictional, medieval world which may or may not be guilty of breaking more than a few scientific facts. A sassy female assassin meets a foul-tempered traveler on her way to a job, and things go a bit sideways from there. The characters may be a bit OOC for a bit, depending on who's asking... Loki/Jane, AU, Rated T for now
1. Discover New Oceans

Ok, so, this is what has been keeping me away from updating BatB. It's massively AU, set in a medieval alternate universe. Seriously, some shit happens that might make you look cross-eyed at the screen to make sure that you read it right. Just roll with it; it's probably not a typo. Characters may also seem slightly OOC. If you're looking for playful-trickster-god Loki, he's going to be very difficult to see for a while; this is dealing-with-some-shit Loki

It's based on a novel I'm writing for NaNoWriMo, so PLEASE give constructive criticism! I love it!

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><p><em><strong>"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."<strong>_

_**– Andre Gide**_

**Chapter One**

In Jane's opinion, there was nothing worse than the chill of the wind at night.

She huddled down in her bedroll as another gust blew past her, wishing that the fire she'd made would put off more heat. The pitiful thing barely succeeded in keeping the animals away.

The long, mournful cry of a death howler echoed around Jane's small sanctuary; the eerie sound caused a shiver to run up her spine. She sat up and scanned the clearing, though she knew that the light would make her view into the darkness unreliable. The crackling and twisting of the flames distorted the shadows on the edge of her field of vision, making them twist and dance in sinister ways; for a moment, she saw the shape of a person through the hulking outline of the trees. Jane leaned forward, pulled her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her hand around her ankle, throwing a glance toward the longsword that lay beside her, partially concealed by her bedroll.

The fire was the only light that battled with the looming darkness, granting her no aid in discerning who was scouting her campsite. She had known from watching the clouds during the day's travel that there was a storm coming; it was still many miles off, but the moon was already obscured by the cover of clouds. The musky smell of an upcoming rain had placed her in a calmer mood earlier in the day, yet the subsequent drop in temperature as the sun went down had prompted her to rethink that elation. She'd been further disappointed when the moisture in the air caused her fire to remain in its pitiful state throughout the night.

Tilting her head to gain a more discrete view, Jane's locks, having long-since rebelled against her hair tie, fell to frame her face and graze her shoulders. She used her hair as a makeshift shield, and with a practiced patience, she stared into the vast blackness beyond the clearing. After several long moments, she was ready to disregard the movement as that of a hermit bear, when a shadow separated from the base of a tree to her right. The figure was slowly picking its way through the trees around her camp in such a way that it was definitely not a hermit bear.

"If you're here to rob me, I'm afraid to say that you're doing a fairly poor job of it," Jane called out to the shadow. As a precaution, her hand slipped from around her ankle into her boot and grasped the blade hidden there.

The sound of her voice seemed to startle the shade, halting its movement. It wavered in place for a moment before it started on a steady path toward Jane. As it came closer, she noticed that the crunch of its footfalls seemed to reverberate around the clearing. The stranger had to either be a very large man or have a very heavy foot to create a crunch this early in the year, when the bluegrass was still so new and full of moisture. She allowed a frown to grace her delicate features just as the stranger reached the edge of the firelight halo. Without pausing, the shadow passed into the amber glow, and Jane caught a glimpse of a defined masculine jawline beneath a well-worn black cloak.

"It would appear that I'm not quite as stealthy as I thought," a smooth baritone voice said. Large, slender hands rose from within the cloak and drew back the hood, revealing a young man of no more than five and twenty with shaggy black hair and the hint of a smirk on his face. "When I realized there was a camp made here, I had hoped to merely slip by unnoticed. I'm sure you appreciate how difficult it can be to judge friend from foe after nightfall."

Jane abandoned her hidden blade and pulled herself from her bedroll. As with any veteran traveler, she rested fully-clothed; this was especially helpful when a hasty escape was the only option. She felt the muscles in her thighs stretch against her well-worn breeches; the loss of her blanket caused her skin to ripple in complaint. Dragon-hide boots had long-since found purchase in the supple earth by the time that the stranger had walked into the warmth provided by inner circle of the fire. She gave the stranger a swift once over before she thrust her hand toward him.

He was a strikingly beautiful young man, with smooth, supple skin, unusual for these difficult times, and his features were obviously human. His hair was unkempt and shaggy, and it fell about the tops of his shoulders. Thick brows sat atop striking green eyes. She appreciated the man's strong, sharp jawline and high cheekbones, though something about him seemed off. When he took her proffered hand in his firm grasp, she gave him a wry half smile. She could not sense any malicious intent, but she had been wrong in the past. She was a light sleeper, though, and she had no doubt that she could subdue him, despite his size.

"Well, if you are no foe, then you are welcome to share my fire. However, if you have any ill intent, I can assure you that you will not make it to the morn," Jane said by way of introduction.

The man's grin was wide and easy, though she was unsure if it was because he found real humor in her assertion that he could carry ill intent or in her thinly-veiled threat. Jane found herself worried that either her new companion was as green as a spring sapling when it came to traveling,or he was more dangerous than he was letting on.

"Where I come from, it is customary to introduce one's self before the threats are made," he said, mirth coloring his tone. "My name is Loki."

Jane nodded and pulled her hand out of his grip.

"Jane."

Loki's grin never faltered as he walked the few steps to the fire, and Jane turned as he walked away, keeping him within her sights. He pulled a small leather pouch from beneath his cloak and began rifling through it. Jane settled back onto her bedroll and took the time to study him at length.

With his cloak still firmly clasped about his neck, Jane was unable to judge his build, but she could tell that he was at least a foot taller than she was. She noticed the outline of a sword, presumably a bastard blade, across his back. Seeing that he had been at least bright enough to be armed, Jane dismissed her earlier assumption that he was soft about the ears.

"Where are you from?" she asked as he pulled a piece of salted meat out of his pouch and grabbed a thin stick from the pile of firewood she'd collected. He turned his head slightly to place her in his field of vision, and the glow of the fire deepened the lines of his face.

"Nowhere worth mentioning," he said, sliding the meat onto the stick and heating it over the fire. "It has been five years since I left, and I have not once returned. And you?"

"You've probably never heard of it. A pile of ash up north near Mount Erratum. It was burnt to the ground years ago," she said with no small hint of scorn. Talk of her home made her agitated, as it always did; she pulled her gambler's dagger from her boot and began cleaning the dirt from beneath her fingernails with it in an attempt to appear nonchalant.

"It's a rough time for anyone to be traveling alone, you know," he said, sitting back on his haunches and pulling his meat from the flames.

"You're one to talk, skulking about with no fire at this point in the night," Jane shot back; a crooked grin graced her features. Loki chuckled and took a bite of his food.

After he swallowed, he turned and faced her fully, his gaze taking purchase in her visage. She couldn't help but feel as though his piercing green eyes could somehow see straight into her soul and, if the notion should strike him, he could reach in and pluck out her deepest secrets. She cleared her throat and turned to the fire to avoid his scrutiny.

"Which way are you traveling?" she asked.

"Farther south. I'm on a quest. Some materials that I need can only be found in the southern mountains. Where are you headed?" he asked.

"The same direction. I have my own quest to fulfill in the mountains," Jane said, placing her dagger back into her boot and slipping her legs back into the comfort of her bedroll. She didn't offer anything more in clarification on the nature of her quest, and she knew that he wouldn't inquire any further. She was traveling into the mountains to retrieve a valuable, powerful artifact; only one other person in the world knew of her quest, and she couldn't risk her success on an acquaintance's assumed morality.

"Mayhap we could journey together for a while," Loki said, his eyes bright. "I have traveled all over the north, but I am unaccustomed with the peculiarities this far south."

"So long as you are not a hindrance to my goal, you are welcome to travel with me, but for now I believe that it's best that I get some rest, else there will not be much journeying on the morrow."

Loki nodded and continued to eat. He turned back to the campfire as if it held all of the secrets of the universe. His intense gaze into the fire was the last image Jane registered before she closed her eyes and sleep took her on a fitful journey through blurry, twisted memories.

#

It had been raining for several hours the next day when Loki broke the silence that had prevailed through most of their traveling. Jane estimated that the sun was probably halfway across its daily path behind the thick expanse of clouds that darkened the sky.

"You said earlier that your village was burned down. What happened?" Loki asked.

"Raiders," Jane answered, looking at the compass in her hand, "about ten years ago."

It was impossible to get an accurate reading with the smears the rain created on the glass. She sighed and rubbed the front of the compass against her shirt in an attempt to get some sort of clarity. When that didn't work, she put the compass in her pocket and started scanning the terrain for a spot to rest and wait out the rain.

"Do you have any family?" he pressed. Jane figured that, after several hours of traveling with minimal interaction, he deserved a little social interaction. He had been a decent companion; his easy, extended silence and agreeability made certain that she lacked any complaints about him thus far. She'd been subjected to far worse characters in the past.

"No. The only family I had was my father," she answered, "and the raiders took his life, along with the rest of the town. I only survived because I was in the next town over; I returned to find the town engulfed in the fire."

At that moment, the roar of thunder echoed around them and the earth trembled in its wake. A split second later, the clouds opened and released the torrential downpour they had been trying to hold back. Jane picked up her pace and searched in earnest for a place to sit the storm out, missing the grim look that had crossed Loki's face. It didn't take long for them to find a reprieve, but the rain had already begun to turn the loose earth into mud when she heard Loki call out.

"There's a cave over there," she heard him say over the pounding of the rain. He gestured toward a small alcove at the bottom of a wall of earth a few dozen feet to their left. Jane nodded in agreement, and they trudged through the rain to the small sanctuary. The soft earth threatened to suck them in; Jane cursed her luck with each step.

"You would think that the trees would offer some cover from the rain," he joked when they were both inside of the alcove and the roar of the storm was muffled.

"They did," Jane said as she grabbed her hair and began wringing it out, watching the water soak into the ground, "before the bottom dropped out. The trees down here can't handle a storm this heavy. It's normal for this time of year. Closer to the mountains, we'll pass through marshes with sungrove trees, and spring rains get more frequent farther south."

The cave was small; where the wall met the ceiling was perhaps a few inches taller than Jane and sloped in such a way that Loki had a few inches of clearance near the ceiling's apex. She set her knapsack down a few feet away from the edge of the entrance of the cave amidst the anemones that lined the walls. She unclasped the scabbard across her back and sat with her back against the wall of the small cave, crossing her legs and placing her sword across her lap. She sighed and rested her head against the wall of the cave, watching the rain continue to pour down the entrance of the cave like a liquid curtain. Loki leaned backwards against the opposite wall with his arms crossed against his chest and his shoulders tilted in toward his body. Jane pondered why he didn't just sit down when it was obvious that the sides of the cave were shorter than he was by enough to make him stoop. Jane reached down and absently stroked one of the small purple and white anemones that covered the floor and wall next to her.

Just as Loki opened his mouth to ask her another question, Jane caught sight of something in her periphery that rarely made her grin. The cave they had settled themselves into provided more than enough cover, and the creatures were a humbling sight to behold. She quickly gestured to Loki for silence. Once she was certain of his cooperation, she made a small motion toward the objects of her attention. Roughly forty feet above the ground and a hundred yards from their miniature cave, a pair of massive breach sharks slid through the trees. Each shark was at least eighteen feet long from snout to fin, with one being slightly larger than the other. From her vantage point, Jane could make out the brilliant white of their underbellies contrasting with the deep charcoal clouds rolling across the sky; the rain seemed to roll effortlessly down their gray skin before continuing its descent to the earth below.

She glanced at Loki and took almost immediate delight in the dueling expressions of fear and awe written across his face. Turning back to the sight at hand, she was certain that her face mimicked the awe he felt. Loki stepped away from the wall without breaking his gaze on the sharks; Jane followed his example and joined him at the edge of the entrance, strapping her scabbard back across her back. The breath caught in her throat as the larger of the two breach sharks opened its mouth and revealed two rows of wicked, jagged teeth. She found herself wondering at all the damage that these great beasts could do with in a single strike.

"So, there really are sharks out here," she heard Loki whisper, "They're massive. Why aren't we hiding?"

Jane managed to contain her laugh.

"Of course there are. We're relatively safe in this cave, but if they really wanted to have us for lunch, we'd already be dead. You've really never seen them before?" she said when she regained control of her mirth.

"My people were Plains people," Loki said, "I'd never been in a forest before a few months ago. I thought breach sharks were a myth. Like death howlers or sanguine apes."

"Those aren't myths either," she whispered, torn between feeling guilt for ruining the illusion of safety or cynically pleased that she wasn't the only one who'd ever had their naivety ripped from them.

"But they're so beautiful," Loki said, watching the pair glide through the trees with the barest flicks of their powerful tails. For a fleeting moment, Jane questioned whether he had heard her at all.

"Well, that's the catch, isn't it?" she said. "The perfect predators are not only supremely vicious and calculating but also appealing to the eye. Power begets power and all that."

She noticed that the rain had slowed down, and she scanned the immediate woods for any sign of company for the sharks that had disappeared from view. After a few moments, she decided that it was safe to leave the sanctuary. Nodding at Loki, she swung her rucksack over her shoulder, checked her compass, and stepped out of the confines of the cave. After a few moments, she heard the loud thump of his footsteps following steadily behind her, and she decided that she would have to take the time to teach him the art of stealth. It wouldn't do for her new companion to be unable to conceal himself when the time came.

"Where are we headed?" he asked, noticing their slight change in direction.

"I need to pick up some rations," she said, "and I'm pretty sure there's a town a few hours to the east."

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><p>Ok. I know, things are a little strange, but have a little faith in me. :) I am totally without a beta, so if you notice any errors or typos, please point them out!<p>

What do you think? R&R!


	2. All the Secrets

Alright, so here's Chapter Two! Don't forget to let me know what you think! It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside when people leave reviews. ;)

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><p><strong><em>"In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans."<em>**

**_- Kahlil Gibran_**

**Chapter Two**

Jane was surprised to find that the small town she had rested at several years back had boomed into a thriving port. While not quite a city, it was obvious that time had been good to the town. The last time she'd stopped in Trienus, the town had consisted of a few homes, a small jail, and a town hall. As they made their way into the town, Jane noticed a pub, docks, and a lively marketplace, among other additions.

"Well," she said, "I had only expected to be able to pick up the barest of necessities. It seems, though, that fortune has smiled upon us."

Loki nodded. Jane glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she lead him to the market. His hood was drawn up to shadow his face. She frowned to herself as she strolled past a few market stalls, ignoring the cajoling of merchants trying to ply their wares. She had no use for the common silver jewelry or wooden bowls and utensils that most of the merchants were selling. She stopped at one stall to consider an iron kettle but ultimately decided that it was too large and bulky.

"…-t's enchanted! You'll never find another quite like it! Wear it, and your footsteps will be silent as the grave! And it's beautiful! Look at this craftsmanship!"

She stopped to look at the ring; upon closer inspection, it was just an ordinary bauble. She gave the merchant a scathing look and continued on to the food stall across the street. She browsed through the selection of fruit, selecting a few, and paid the owner three sixpence for some grapefruit, apples, and an apricot. She stored the two grapefruit and an apple in her rucksack, handed an apple to Loki, and kept the apricot in her hand.

She made her way to a stall selling weapons; she glanced past the more ordinary weapons, taking a bite out of the apricot as she tried to discern whether there was anything of real value. Her gaze landed on a commonplace looking black longbow lying off to the side. She took another bite of the apricot in her hand and cocked her head to the side. The bow was crafted like a longbow, but it was only perhaps five and a half feet tall.

"Find anything of interest, dear?"

Jane looked up at the merchant who'd spoken. The woman was tall and well dressed in maroon finery. Her black hair was pulled back into a severe bun that caused the greying hair around her temples to streak backwards on her head, and her mouth was full and plump. The plains on the woman's face were sharp and unyielding, but her eyes were soft and matronly.

"Actually," Jane said, smiling at the merchant, "I'm interested in that bow, there. The one right next to that green dagger."

"Oh, that? It is a very nice piece of craftsmanship, isn't it?" the merchant said. She picked up the bow and placed it in front of Jane. Upon closer inspection, Jane saw that the bow was not black, but rather a very deep blood red; she leaned in and studied the engravings, trying to discern their meaning. Worrying at the last bit of her apricot, she decided that the markings were in a language she didn't understand.

"Where is it from?" she asked, glancing up at the older woman.

"I picked it up in the East, over the mountains. I was told that it was crafted from Moonstone, but I can't tell you how many times I've heard that scite," the merchant said, laughing.

Jane smiled at her and picked the bow up. She raised her eyebrows at the bow's light weight and turned it upside down, bracing it against her foot. She mimed stringing it, pleased with the flexibility and light weight the bow afforded while still retaining its strength.

"How much do you want for it?" she asked, righting the bow and placing it back on the stall's table.

"I'll take a florin for it," the woman told her.

Jane ran her hand along the bow, debating whether she should invest in it. She hadn't owned a bow in many years, but now that there was such an interesting one under her hand, she felt a hint of nostalgia and yearning tug at her. Jane handed the woman a florin and a shilling, and she walked off with her new bow and a quiver of arrows thrown over her shoulder. She would have to stop by an armory to pick up a new belt for her sword so that she could sling the bow and quiver across her back. Glancing back at her tall, silent shadow, she frowned.

She saw the pub at the end of the row of stalls, directly across from the docks. The pub looked to be in good shape, though it did seem to have been through a few years of slobbering drunks. All of the windows that lined the street were open, and she could hear the raucous laughter that spilled out into the street and battled with the sounds coming off the docks. No one in the pub seemed to mind the dust blowing off the road and into the pub by errant winds. Across from the pub, the docks were even more boisterous that the marketplace. Several large ships were moored to the docks, and their crews were busy aboard the ships and down along the road, traveling to and from the marketplace to get supplies. She recognized most of the flags, including the smiling Breach Shark of the Selkies royal house and the Flame Salamanders of Salamandes, the land on the southern side of the mountains that bordered Selkies.

Jane made her way up the steps and into the pub, watching as the men in her path parted when they caught sight of Loki's form behind her. The pub was as crowded as the rest of the town, and she was assaulted by the musk of hard labor as she made her way toward the bar. The large room was dimly lit, and dirt from the roads had created a muddy film on everything. Despite the open windows, the air held a great bit of smoke and body heat. Three impressive black Rumble Bear pelts were affixed to the internal walls. Many of the men were sailors, enjoying some down time while their superiors were distracted elsewhere. Jane saw a great many men with giggling whores seated upon their laps. These sailors contrasted with the regulars, who were languishing in their cups around the edges of the great room, shooting foul looks at the sailors any time a particularly loud bout of laughter was heard over the din. Jane reached the bar and smacked her hand down on the unfinished oak surface, signaling to the wench for a round of ale. She turned and looked up at Loki.

"Now, I want to know what's gotten into your petticoats since we got into town," she said, leaning backwards against the edge of the bar and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nothing," he muttered, looking over her head at the barrels of ale and the dirty pewter tankards that lined the back wall as the bar wench returned with two pints. The blonde wench leaned across the bar to place the tankards in directly in front of Jane and Loki, granting them full view of her ample bosom.

"This one's on the house," the girl said, righting herself. Jane looked back up at her face and put a sixpence on the bar, giving the wench a wink and a smirk. She turned back to Loki and took a long swig of her ale before she continued their conversation.

"Codswallop," she said, scrutinizing the visible portion of his face, "I've known you less than a day, and I can tell you've got some sand caught in those too-tight breeches of yours. I haven't seen more than half of your face since we got here," she said. The corners of his mouth were pulled down and, as she spoke, the right side of his jaw gained a tick.

"I would just prefer it if we got what we came here for and left," he said, punctuating his wishes by downing his pint in a few short swallows. He slammed the tankard down on the bar and turned on his heel, headed for the exit.

Jane sighed and finished her pint, watching as he walked through the double doors. She set her tankard on the bar and followed him. As she moved to follow his footsteps, she looked back at the bar for a last view of the busty wench; she noticed that a short, fat man with rotten teeth and mismatched clothing seemed to have taken particular interest in her. Jane rolled her eyes and joined Loki where he hovered outside of the door.

"Well, Princess, since you're so ready to leave, let's head back through the market. I just need a belt and some salt, and then we'll be on our way," she told Loki with a grin.

#

"Well, well, what 'ave we got 'ere, gents? A li'l princess and 'er bodyguard? Or is it tha other way aroun'?"

Jane felt Loki start beside her, taken aback by the sudden voice behind them. The only astonishment that Jane could muster was over how long it had taken the rogues to make themselves known. They had barely made it out of the town before she realized that they were being followed, but the Sky Pirates had allowed more than an hour's walk before revealing themselves.

"Don't you have anything better to do than make an arse out of yourself?" Jane asked, rolling her eyes and turning on her heel to face the owner of the grating voice.

She was met with the visage of a man well worn by strong winds. She mused that, some decades ago, the man in front of her had probably been an attractive youth. That youth had long since been lost to the struggles of piracy. In its place now stood a man with a wide, strong jaw, yellowed teeth, and a large nose that had obviously been broken more than a few times. A black pirate's hat with a red stripe lining the brim sat atop a mass of matted salt and pepper hair that fell to his shoulders where it met a frock coat that matched the hat. Both the hat and the coat still had the gleam of new clothes, lacking the holes and faded color that the rest of his crew displayed. Although his mouth wore a sneer, his eyes were stony and lackluster, sinking into his face and creating deep shadows above his cheekbones. Yet, these were not the most defining aspects of the man. She found his most memorable aspect to be the deep, flesh-colored gouge that ran from his right temple straight through his nose down to the left side of his chin.

"Well, now, Love, tha's no way t' talk t' a group of fine gen'lemen. Now, 'm certain ya can find a way t' make it up t' good ol' Cap'n Love 'n his crew, don't ya think?"

Jane cursed to herself; this was the last thing that she needed after the lost time that her shopping in Trienus had cost. Her fingers itched for the handle of her longsword, but there was no point in making the first move when the Sky Pirate's ego was going to do that for her. If she waited, she knew that she would have the advantage of surprise. This was just another group of men that underestimated her power, no better than any of the others that had come her way in the past.

"I don't know what ballroom you seem to think you've walked into, but there is no orchestra playing in this valley tonight. The closest tavern is an hour north of here. I'd get walking if you want to make it there before all the pretty whores have their attention diverted elsewhere," Jane replied as she pretended to study her fingernails. From her periphery, she counted less than twenty men, including the Captain. The pitiful number raised her spirits even further. Noticing the fat man from the bar, she looked back up with a smile at the captain. "Although, it seems that you've already had a fine enough time in Trienus."

"This one 'ere has sharp tongue, eh, gent's? Wha' d'ya say we cut 'er down a peg or two?" Captain Love sneered, signaling to his crew.

She threw a quick glance at Loki and sent up a fleeting prayer to whichever country's gods might be watching that he would be skilled enough with a sword to survive the fight. She grasped the hilt of her sword lightly in her hand as she watched as Captain Love's crew took leering steps closer to them. Captain Love stood several paces behind the mass of men, wearing a smirk that made Jane want to add another gouge to his countenance. As her fingers flexed, she felt the power of the sword begin to course through her veins. Her sword had been bought at invaluable personal expense, but she had yet to regret the decision. Forged under the earth, it had been crafted specifically for her. The Masters at their Craft had bound the blade to her essence, creating an invaluable fighting partner from an inanimate object.

Seven of the eighteen attacking pirates were making their way toward her, and she used their slow pace to study them. Three seemed more eager than the others for a fight; these three would probably be the easiest to take down. One was a good deal taller than the others were, and she knew that she would have to brave his arm span to get him off his feet before she would have any advantage. Two toward the front seemed to be new to the pirate's life; their faces still held the roundness of youth, and their faces held a cautious eagerness that none of the other pirates had. Jane could tell that the last two pirates were the most experienced of the group.

Jane waited until the last possible moment before drawing her longsword, Kelpie. The longsword as thin and skeletal. The blade was a unique swirling mixture of smoky gray and royal blue, and the dark gray hilt was covered in engravings of the same blue color. She swung the sword around her wrist and waited until one of the young pirates swung his cutlass at her before she lunged forward and slid Kelpie straight through his gut. She dodged an attack from the tall pirate on her left, and the first fell to the ground when she pulled Kelpie back. She swung her arm in a wide arc, and her sword slid neatly through the front half of the first eager pirate's throat. As she blocked another attack from the tall pirate, she felt herself begin to meld with Kelpie in a way that no one else in the world would ever know from this particular weapon. All of her years of training were magnified with Kelpie in her hand.

She knocked the legs out from beneath the pirate with a well-timed blow and, when he hit the ground, she stabbed downward through his gut. The pirate's body jerked upward and blood gurgled up from his open mouth. She tore her sword out of him and traded blows with another of the eager pirates for a moment before she sliced sideways across his face, and as he doubled over, she thrust Kelpie upward through his ribs. He slumped down into her shoulder, and she shrugged him off, his body sliding off of Kelpie onto the ground. The second youth blocked her first attack, but her upward counter-strike had Kelpie speared through his jaw. She felt the blood spurt from his mouth and the new orifice she'd provided for him and splatter across her face. Her own blood ran hot in response, surging and pounding against her restraining flesh, and Kelpie was thundering in her hand with its own heartbeat.

All noise was drowned out by a white roar in the back of her mind, and she felt the bloodlust rise within her; the hunger was echoed by the Dubbukkian metal in her hand. The power, as seductive and nubile as ever, ran through her veins and taunted her sense, supplicating her to let go of control for only just a moment. Jane shook her head and the world snapped back into place as a flash of blue caught her attention. She threw a glance at Loki and was astonished to see that what she'd assumed was one large blade was actually dual blades with some interesting qualities of their own. Though perhaps not as invasive as her own, the swords in his grasp were still impressive. Instead of one dull, non-descript weapon, his hands were wrapped firmly around the hilts of two impressive black swords, which pulsed with surges of bright green lightning. Her brows drew together as she watched him lop off the head of the fat pirate from the tavern. It was rare for a traveler to have even one enchanted sword; her own had taken three years' worth of jobs to afford.

Jane's attention was torn back to her own battle as one of the final pirates moved closer to her. She cut down the last two men who stood in her way, thrusting Kelpie down into the first man's foot and jamming her gambler's blade into his temple. She ripped her dagger from the pirate's flesh and turned to the last of the lot. In one smooth motion, she tore the sword from the dead man's foot and sliced through the last man's gut as he raised his blade over his head in preparation to deal a downward strike. As he fell to the ground, Jane came face to face with Captain Love. The Captain wasted no time getting to business, a trait that Jane admired, and she read his frustration in his agitated gait and swordplay. Steel clashed against steel as she gauged his fighting skill and technique, and as their battle continued, she watched fear crawl across his face. Tired of the cat-and-mouse game she had fallen into, she found an opening and knocked the knuckles of his hand with the hilt of her blade as she swung her body around his to avoid his strike. The hit caused the Captain to drop his sword, and she came full circle with her sword pressed into the apex of his collarbone.

"What say you, 'gent''?" she rasped, placing the slightest bit of pressure into the sword. She watched in vague amusement as his adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"Mercy," the Captain whispered, his arms stretched in supplication.

Jane pondered the notion as she pulled the tip of her sword from his throat down to his black and red frock coat. She made an exaggerated display of thinking about the request, a coy smile making its way onto her face, as she studied the captain's outfit; she tapped the tip of her sword against the breast pocket of the coat a few times. If done properly, she was certain that she could take his life without spilling any unnecessary blood.

She heard Loki's footsteps approaching from behind her, and the idea of ending the captain seemed less fulfilling. Captains were notoriously stubborn men, and he would likely squirm and make a mess. She smiled at the Captain winningly and tapped the point of her sword on the brim of his hat.

"I certainly do like this ensemble," she mused, lifting a brow.

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><p>Woo! Chapter two! I have three or four more chapters already written, I'm just trying to see if it's worth it to post them. So, what do you think?<p> 


	3. That Missing Drop

Okay, so I'm trying to get them done quick, fast, and in a hurry because if I don't, I might abandon it. Law school crushes hobbies (and souls...). O_o.

Anyway, read and review! Let me know what you think!

I do promise that Loki is more than just a stick-in-the-mud asshole. He's got alot going on right now... :(

Uh, wild animal death warning. No graphic description (IMHO), just a mention. Kinda sad. Don't say I didn't warn you.

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><p><em><strong>"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."<strong>_  
><em><strong>– Mother Theresa<strong>_

**Chapter Three**

The gardens were overgrown.

In the 50 years that he had served as Chamberlain and Steward for the Selkies royal family, Mímir had never seen the gardens so dismal. Blue, green, and purple perennials, once chosen and arranged with painstaking care, had since grown into uncharted territory with wild abandon. Rose bushes that had been the envy of visiting dignitaries grew unimpeded into each other, their thorns biting and cutting their neighbors while their blooms wept petals onto pathways overrun with grass and algae. Vines grew across anything available, consumed surfaces with surprising speed, and started to turn their attention to the marble centerpieces of the gardens. The sweet, fat cherubim that had once poured water from marble chalices were covered in algae and dirt; brown smudges ran from the corners of their eyes down plump cheeks to disappear at their jaws, turning joyous faces into crude, evil caricatures of the past.

He took in the sight of the oppressive onslaught of foliage and blooms and wished that he would wake in his bed, and the man that he served would return to being the man King Odin rarely spared a second glance. He'd been making the same wish for more than a year, though there seemed no respite from the despondency that had descended over the palace grounds like a heavy winter fog.

He wandered through the gardens, letting his feet take him to the center of the rose labyrinth. The path was firmly set and worn into the ground from his visits, and the rose hedges were more concerned with touching the Heavens than meeting each other across the path. Mímir stepped into the opening and brushed aside an incarnadine bloom that had become too heavy for its upward stretch. A Weeping Willow stretched languorously over a small pond, granting shade to a short stone bench underneath the tree. Canna, Calla, and Elephant Ears peppered the seating area with color, creating a comfortable, inviting atmosphere. Not even the wind dared to disrupt the sanctity of the haven.

He put on his dragon hide gloves and pulled his clippers from the utility belt that hung from his waist. In his youth, he had brazenly battled the thorns with his bare hands, but with age, his skin had become much more susceptible to the wear and tear of labor. Taking his time, Mímir walked along the hedges that surrounded the clearing, clipping away the stray branches and bulbs attempting to make their way toward the water source. Most people, including King Hoenir, believed that Mímir was taking a nap in his quarters during his midday interims. Only a few knew of his meticulous care of this refuge.

Some days, when he was cleaning up the hedges or ripping up the intruding weeds from around the sitting area, he swore that he caught sight of Queen Frigga sitting placidly on the bench, her long golden hair plaited down her back. The first time he'd seen her, he'd hastily glanced back to the bench, hoping that the nightmare was over and he'd not realized it that morn. The next few times he caught a glimpse of her apparition, he hadn't even allowed hope into his heart. Instead, he'd dropped his shears and fallen to his knees, placing his head into his hands; the dry sobs that had racked his body had been agonizing but hadn't assuaged the gripping ache in his chest.

The gardens had been the first thing at the palace that had fallen into disrepair, but Mímir made certain that this tranquil area remained untouched by the cold hand of the usurper. Hoenir had little patience for beauty or tranquility, so he saw no reason to waste the labor required to maintain the tapestry of flora.

The chime of the Cathedral bell sounded, calling for the patrons of Luduan to make their way to the sanctuary for mid-day prayers, a luxury King Hoenir was forced to continue allowing the citizens. Mímir surveyed his work once more before he made his way out of the labyrinth. Without fail, he would be back at the same time the next day to care for the garden that his daughter had loved.

* * *

><p>Jane strutted down the dirt road, brushing invisible lint off of the arms of her new coat. The coat fell a few inches longer than she needed, but she was pleased that it hid Kelpie from plain sight. Her quiver was fitted snugly across her back, and her bow was affixed to the quiver. The loose fit of the coat allowed for an easy reach to either of her weapons. After plucking the last of the invisible fibers from her left arm, she turned her focus to the right one.<p>

"So, you don't even care that you just stole from that man?" Loki asked.

Jane pulled her attention from her coat and looked up at her companion. She drew her brows together and gave him a slight frown.

"Why would I care?"

"Most people would point out that it isn't yours."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm wearing it, aren't I? That means it's mine. Why do you care, anyway?" She turned to study the road ahead of them.

"Oh, I don't know, because it's a crime, mayhap?"

She let out a sharp bark. "It's not stealing. It's trading. He started a fight; I won. He wanted his life; I wanted his jacket. So, we made a deal. I'm sure he has no hard feelings." She made a vague gesture toward the direction they were headed away from. "High minded ideals won't get you far out here. No one else has those ideals, and if you don't want to die, you have to let go of them." When she looked back at his face, she saw more curiosity than judgment there, though.

Loki shrugged. "Not everyone on the road is a bad person. You've been fair to me."

Jane smiled and pulled her compass out of her pocket. "Don't let me fool you. If you think my conquest today was immoral, you would cringe to hear my sins. Týr surely does, though Hel waits for me with glee." Jane tucked the compass back into her waistcoat and adjusted her belt so that her sword lay more toward the backside of her thigh and hip. "We have at least another fortnight until we reach the mountains unless we pick up mounts. We can pick some up in Delmare before-"

"No." Startled, Jane looked back at him, the quick movement causing wisps of her hair to fall in her face. She studied him for a few seconds before stopping and turning to stand in front of him. As he stopped, she placed her arms akimbo and looked up at his face, setting her mouth in a stern line.

"Now, I took a chance," Janee said, "letting you travel with me. A chance that I don't offer to most. I noticed your behavior in Trienus - as though anyone could miss it - and I want to know what all of this is about. I doubt you're a criminal, with all your high-minded talk, but you have a reason for wanting to avoid cities, and I need to know what it is and whether it's going to affect me."

The two stared at each other for a while, waiting for the other to back down. Jane wasn't easily dissuaded by a tall, hulking figure and a scowl, and she'd done her fair share of waiting in her three and twenty years, so she waited patiently for Loki to explain himself. The breeze wafted past them, brushing their hair away from their faces, and Jane watched the emotions that crossed his face. His brow was creased down and the muscle in his jaw ticked; Jane decided that she wouldn't have to wait long for an answer.

"I'm on the run," Loki ground out, looking past Jane. Shocked, Jane struggled to keep her reaction minimal as she waited for him to elaborate.

"I've been sentenced to the gallows. If anyone recognizes me, that's where I'll go."

Jane nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. "So, you're telling me that I've taken a huge risk by traveling with you." She shrugged and turned on her heel. "I suppose we can find somewhere for you to camp out while I get some mounts."

"You're not going to tell me that it's time to part ways?" she heard Loki ask as she started back on the path.

"Well," she replied, "I already told you that my list of transgressions make even the gods frown. Why should I judge you for yours?"

A few hours later, the pair made camp in the woods far off of the highroad. They worked in silence, deep in their own thoughts. When Loki knelt down to ignite the campfire, Jane made her way out of camp toward the sound of a nearby stream. The water was not far from the campsite. Jane uncapped her water pouches and began filling them with the water from the stream. She made quick work of the task and, as she was capping the third jug, she heard growling coming from behind her. She turned quickly and recognized the tall, hulking form of a hermit bear in the trees to the left. After a pause, she was relieved to see that it hadn't noticed her. Her relief was short-lived when she heard a death howler, followed quickly by the whine of a nearby pup. The last thing she needed was to end up in the middle of a battle between a hungry hermit bear and a vicious mother howler. She slung the pouch onto her belt and made her way swiftly back to camp.

When she returned to the welcome glow of the campfire, she handed Loki one of the water pouches and climbed into her bedroll.

* * *

><p>Jane woke to the cries of the pup.<p>

Sighing, she rolled over in her bedroll and tried to go back to sleep, but the pup's cries were insistent. Flipping over onto her back, she stared up through the trees at the rolling gray clouds above her and tried to wait the pup out. After what seemed like hours, she finally got up and followed the cries, hoping that this was worth the trouble. The cries were coming from where the hermit bear had been near the stream earlier, and as she made her way closer, the saw streaks of blood that covered the previously unmarred ground. Jane covered her mouth and steeled herself as she made her way closer to the source of the sounds.

When she found the pup, she backed away and lost the ale and food from earlier that day into the bushes. Spitting out the bile and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she made her way back to the pup.

Like everything else in the small clearing, it was covered in blood. No more than a month old, its ears were only beginning to stand up, with the tips still flopping over. The small pup was nudging the large, prone form of its mother where it lay under a tree. Jane guessed from the streak of blood down the tree that she'd been flung into it like a rag doll. The hermit bear had probably succeeded in breaking her neck or back in the process. Most of the howler's entrails seemed to intact, though Jane did recognize the tell-tale evidence that they'd been partially eaten and, glancing around, she wondered why the bear had taken off without his meal.

Deciding that she wasn't going to wait around for the bear to return, Jane made her way over to the small pup, and pulled a large rag out of her belt pouch. She tossed it over the pup and scooped it up. Tucking the bundle under her arm, she made her way quickly to the stream. She knelt down by the stream and placed her bundle into the water, holding onto the scruff of its neck. It squirmed to get away, but that only made her task of washing it off a little easier. As it squirmed, she chuckled to herself.

"Oh, you're a boy," she said to the pup in a soothing whisper. "No wonder you don't like baths."

When she was finished, she made her way back to the camp with the pup's scruff in one hand and the rag in another. She quickly threw the bloodied rag into the fire and sat down on her bedroll with the pup. He looked at her with tired eyes for a moment before laying down to the side of her lap, deciding, she imagined, that she wasn't so bad. Laying down beside it, she quickly drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, she was startled by the sound of Loki cussing. Sitting up, she saw him fighting with the small pup over his tunic. Hearing her quite laughter, Loki gestured at the pup.

"What is this? It will not release my tunic! Let go, you infernal beast!"

She grabbed the pup and placed her thumb and forefinger on the sides of the pups jaws, applying pressure and making it let go.

"He's a death howler. Isn't he darling?" Jane cooed, rolling the tiny howler onto his back in the crook of her arm and rubbing his tummy. "I found him last night."

"Where did that thing come from? You can't possibly be thinking of keeping it."

"He was an orphan," Jane told him, eyes like steel when they met Loki's. "He's mine now."

Loki's face sobered. "What are we calling him?"

She looked down at the pup in her arms. Now dry, rather than drenched in blood, his fur was midnight black, instead of the russet of normal howlers. His eyes were a bright, intelligent emerald green, and he looked back at her brazenly.

"He looks like a Soul Crusher."

Loki made an incredulous sound.

"What?" she said, looking up.

"How terribly unimaginative."

She frowned, staring back down at her bundle.

"Fenrir."

Jane looked back up at Loki, who was staring quite intently at the little ebony and emerald bundle in her arms.

"Fenrir, it is."

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><p>Alright. Chapter three. New characters. Opinions?<p> 


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